Thursday, April 28, 2016

Freddie Mercury, the late frontman for the legendary band Queen, died almost 25 years ago. But he's still regarded as the best rock singers ever. But how did he manage to achieve such
vocal range?

A new study in Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology set out with the
ambitious task of analysing Mercury's voice. By selecting archive
recordings, as well as using a rock singer to imitate, a team of
Austrian, Czech and Swedish authors discovered some interesting findings
about the voice once described as "a force of nature with the velocity
of a hurricane."

The lead author on
the study, Austrian voice scientist Christian Herbst, states that
Mercury's voice range was "normal for a healthy adult -- not more, not
less." Contrary to his popular image, he was probably a baritone who
sang as a tenor with exceptional control over his voice production
technique. He is known to have rejected an offer to sing as baritone in
an opera duet with singer Montserrat Caballé because he worried that his
fans knew him only as a rock singer and would not recognise his voice
in baritone.In many ways, this deeper scholarly interest and analysis of
Mercury's voice moves to affirm many of the singer's stage persona
traits. In particular, the study examined the intentional distortion
Mercury used to produce so-called 'growl' sounds. With a rock singer
imitating this special type of singing, the authors filmed his larynx
with a high-speed camera at over 4,000 frames per second, giving them an
understanding of what Mercury would have done physiologically while
singing these 'distorted' notes. The authors could thus reconstruct how
Freddie Mercury, in his flamboyant and eccentric stage persona, drove
his vocal system to its limits.

What they found was an intriguing physical phenomenon called
subharmonics. This is seen in a more extreme way in Tuvan throat singing
where not only the vocal folds vibrate, but also a pair of tissue
structures called ventricular folds, which are not normally used for
speaking or classical singing. Mercury's more fragile side is also
fitting with his hallmark vibrato (a rapid, slight variation in pitch).
Most pop/rock singers maintain a regular vibrato, whilst his was more
irregular, and unusually fast.

This deeper study into one of the world's best known vocal artists
contributes not only to the scholarly understanding of voice but also to
Freddie Mercury's continuing legacy.You might be able to hear that vocal fingerprint in the vocals-only version of Queen's hit song "We Are The Champions" below.

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Prince,
who pioneered "the Minneapolis sound" and took on the music industry in
his fight for creative freedom, died Thursday at age 57.

"It
is with profound sadness that I am confirming that the legendary,
iconic performer, Prince Rogers Nelson, has died at his Paisley Park
residence this morning at the age of 57," said his publicist, Yvette
Noel-Schure.

Earlier Thursday,
police said they were investigating a death at the Paisley Park studios
in Chanhassen, Minnesota. They responded to a medical call and found the
singer unresponsive in an elevator, Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson
said.

A massive outpouring of grief followed
on social media. Some are saying the icon's death "is what it sounds
like when doves cry," a reference to his monster hit from 1984. Fans
rushed to record stores to pick up vinyl and other Prince memorabilia.

Kaleena
Zanders went to Amoeba Music in Los Angeles to buy a vinyl edition of
Prince's iconic album "Purple Rain" on Thursday. She cried in the car as
she drove there.

"Prince means the future, because he's changed music, everyone in music,
he's influenced every person, and I believe that he represents our
future, and it kind of died with him in a way.

Just this month, Prince made news, but it wasn't for his music. He said he wasn't feeling well, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and canceled a concert date at the Fox Theater in the Georgia city.

Some days later, he took the stage in Atlanta to perform in a 80-minute
set, unusually short for him. The stage was engulfed in lavender smoke.
It was just Prince at his piano. He played his classic songs but kept
the mood light and fun -- at one point showing off his skills with a
version of the Peanuts theme song.

After the performance, the singer's plane made an emergency landing,
Noel-Schure told CNN. He was reportedly was rushed to a hospital in
Moline, Illinois. At the time, the publicist said, "He is fine and at
home."

The singer's fame never waned through
the decades, but he was considered synonymous with the 1980s. His fame
reached a fever pitch with the 1984 film "Purple Rain," about an
aspiring musician, his troubled home life and a budding romance.

He
was a prolific musician. Between 1985 and 1992 he released eight
albums, one per year, including the soundtrack for Tim Burton's
"Batman." He starred in two more movies during that era -- "Under the
Cherry Moon" and "Graffiti Bridge." He also put out a concert film.
"Sign 'o' the Times" hits theaters in 1987.

He infamously changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol in the 1990s
during a dispute with his record label, Warner Bros. He started to
become known then as the "Artist Formerly Known as Prince."

In 2000 when the singer's publishing contract with the company expired, he reclaimed the name Prince.

Prince
won seven Grammy Awards and earned 30 nominations. Five of his singles
topped the charts and 14 other songs hit the Top 10. He won an Oscar for
best original song score for "Purple Rain."

The singer's predilection for lavishly kinky story-songs earned him the
nickname, His Royal Badness. He was also known as the "Purple One"
because of his colorful fashions.

His sound was as unique and transfixing as he was. He created what
became known as the Minneapolis sound, which was a funky blend of pop,
synth and new wave.

Controversy followed the singer and that, in part, made his fans adore him more.

"Darling
Nikki," a song that details a one-night stand, prompted the formation
of the Parents Music Resource Center. Led by Tipper Gore, the group
encouraged record companies to place advisory labels on albums with
explicit lyrics.

Elton John has been revealed as the most charitable British musical celebrity of 2015 in new research by The Sunday Times, with One Direction and Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor also amongst the top givers.

The Sunday Times annual 'Giving List' estimates that £266 billion was given to charity in the UK in 2015, with the Sainsbury family - founders of the supermarket - topping the list overall, having given £220 million in 2015. That figure amounts to more than 40% of their total wealth.

Elton John's giving centred on his own Aids charities, to which he gave an estimated £26.8 million over the course of the year. The Giving List also reveals that Coldplay have given a total of £1.7 million, Ringo Starr gave £1.6 million to a charity he started, the Lotus Foundation, while One Direction and the two Queen members also gave figures the put them comfortably in the top givers in the UK.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling, Rory McIlroy, David Beckham and Jamie Oliver also made donations that saw them listed highly, with Rowling having given £10.3 million to various charities over the course of the year.